stubborn1VT

I make a good part of my living with saws. I wear headphones and safety toe leather boots. I own chaps, but almost never wear them. I really should wear a helmet, but it restricts my vision. With that said, I think good boots, chaps and hearing protection are most useful.

I carried the M-4 in the sand for quite a few days. We used a "combat" sling, which is pretty much a safari sling. Super comfortable to carry IMO. I wouldn't hunt with one either, but it wouldn't be because of comfort.

You mean the buck isn't actually inside the bag? Come on. What a rip off! I have bought WI seed just to read the tag and replicate it.

That is funny Pygmy. I enjoy the "run and gun" approach. Shotgun, foam seat, diaphram call & pot call. I had really mixed experiences with decoys, but I know they work. The popup blind is a game changer for turkey hunting. I know tons of youngsters who have bagged birds because of the extra concealment. Whatever works! (Short of blasting them off the roost.) I get a kick out of making them come in close and look for the "mystery hen", then shooting them "where the corn goes in". Good luck to you too!

Yup. I think like you. I use an old 870 with a factory X full Remington choke. I camouflaged it with 3 colors of spray paint and some homemade stencils. I've shot almost all my birds under 40 yards. Many way under 40. The biggest adjustment I made was to stop hunting fields so much. Much easier to get them close in the woods. At 30 yards it doesn't much matter what I use for turkey loads.

That makes sense. Multiple hits damaging the spinal column certainly gets it done. Like TF, I don't shoot that far. I have seen a number of fall turkeys wounded and lost at that range.

I get what you're saying, but with a projectile as small as a #4 I would argue that energy is pretty darned important.

That's cool. I was kinda looking for some maths. I have had turkey loads fired toward me at 75 yds. I wasn't all that impressed, in any sense.

I'm curious. I hear all the time about guys with 12 gauges that will shoot well to 60 yards. I'm not doubting that. Can anyone tell me what happens to the effectiveness of turkey shot at those ranges? I'm not saying you can't kill turkeys at that range, or that guys haven't done it. I'm just curious about the ballistics of it. I guess I wouldn't want to be shot with 2 oz of #5s at 60 yards, but they must drop off considerably, no?

Maybe if it was just a tiller. Looks like a cross between a tiller and a stump grinder to me.

The tubing doesn't cause the lack of underbrush, but it does go hand in hand. It sets up a less desirable habitat for deer IMO. You're right, the sugar lines don't bother the deer. The wide open hardwoods do.

Carbide stands up to rocks pretty well. You might be surprised.

There is a whole lot involved in working in and around wetlands, as DFA pointed out. There are different classes of wetlands as well. A guy I know had some excavation work done to dry out some hay fields that we hay. He had some berms put in, cleaned out some ditches, put in culverts, and dug a small pond. A anonymous, nosy neighbor called and complained to the state, and he had to basically return it to its natural state because it was classified as wetlands. We thought of it as a wet area along the edge of some fields. The state considered it valuable wetland. With that said, a good engineering firm could help you steer around all the regulations. It wouldn't be cheap, but I have seen them "engineer" their way around just about anything. I got to see it first-hand when a huge construction company proposed a development next to our house. They designed a 3000' driveway that crossed a wetlands and climbed a steep grade, complete with 14' of fill to get above the wetlands, guardrails, and a catch pond for all the run-off. We were glad the project failed, but I gained some respect for the engineers. They had an answer for anything! Guess it helped that the development company had deep pockets. I guess my points are this: 1) You are right to be concerned 2) It matters what your neighbors think of what you're trying to do 3) Engineers can help you navigate the regs and answer questions 4) It helps to have tons of money

The leaves are fantastic! Like what you did with the blank spaces. The fact that you work in so many mediums shows just how much artistic talent you have. Keep up the good work man.

Works for me. I like it because any deer I killed would be a trophy. I don't hunt with a traditional bow now, but it wouldn't be a huge transition for me. I could always get on here for tips and advice.

It was good while it lasted! Kidding. . . The Professional The Princess Bride Beautiful Girls Tombstone The Usual Suspects

"Big" 2.5 year old. He just doesn't have the bulk of a 3 year old. Nice deer for sure. He must be getting what he needs to have that much antler development. Based on that, I would expect a bigger body.

There is a difference between appreciating a set of antlers, and letting them affect how you hunt or what you shoot.

You take your snow brush/ scraper out of your vehicle? I never even considered that. Must be a "Southern" thing! I ice fished on Sunday. There was still 8" of ice, but most of it was punky. That will do it for me. I pounded the bluegills and got a 9lb pike. It was a fat female, and I released it. All my pics are on my "dumb" phone, and can't transfer them to the computer. I'm looking forward to peepers too. The red-wing blackbirds came back during the thaw in early March, before the last two snowstorms. Guess they weren't the sure-fire sign of spring I had hoped for. This week's rain will probably wake the peepers up, and get rid of the snow that is still in the woods here. There was still a foot at the farm last time I was there, so it will be awhile yet in the hill country. I still have time to prune some apple trees over there. I'm itching to start my apple orchard here, as well as do some woodlot cleanup and food plot prep. Happy April folks.

7-8" new snow. Heavy, sticky stuff. Gotta go plow the driveway in a bit. I plan on hitting the ice tomorrow for bluegills and maybe a pike. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find ice for next weekend too. Hoping to anyway.

I don't mind the idea of a 1 buck limit. It still gives a hunter a choice, unlike an AR mandated by someone else. We need more hunters because there are more antis. It's really that simple. Strength in numbers. If you aren't aware that hunting is losing popularity in the US, then I suggest you do some research.

There is a wide variety of scenarios between wanting more mature deer and just "filling your freezer."

That's my issue with this debate. It is an ugly thread, but I haven't read anything that warrants that kind of judgement. I don't care if you want mandatory AR's, and I certainly wouldn't put you down as an individual for it. What gives you the right? I find that arrogant and elitist. You know better than the other guy, and he's a menace? Come on. I might disagree with you, but I'm not going to say you shouldn't be hunting. We need more hunters, not fewer.

The surveys I've seen are woefully inadequate. I don't think they have asked a realistic cross section of all hunters. This makes them an educated guess. I think a large portion of NY hunters will be poorly represented in regards to ARs, and I have strong misgivings about forcing regulation on other hunters. The only other issue I have, is the motivations for legislation like this seems to be elitist and dishonest. I think many push for changes like this for selfish reasons, under the guise of concern for herd health. I would have expected a more conservative "to each his own" attitude from hunters, not a self centered push to drag all hunters along toward a single point of view with more regulation. It is sad to see the division among hunters, and it won't help the sport. If the majority of NY hunters are fed up with deer hunting as it exists now, then it's certainly time for a change. If not, then forcing ARs will only serve to further divide and weaken the hunting population of the state.

The Northeast is funny. I ice fished yesterday, and would have today if it hadn't rained so hard. 8-9" of ice. There must have been 40 guys out there. We're thinking it will last one more week. Nice looking browns. Those colors are spectacular.